What is the best defense we have seen?

[72-10]

I wonder how good those Celtics teams defenses were.

[superduper]

2019 Playoffs, Toronto Raptors.

[Bosnian Sajo]

06-07 Spurs??? Not the 2003 team?


In my lifetime, mid 2000's Pistons...but you gotta put up the historic teams, too.


I don't think any team has an argument over the 60's Celtics when it comes to best defenses.

[Prometheus]

Easily the mid 00s Pistons

[LostCause]

The Russell Celtics have the best defenses all-time and it's nor particularly close. I didn't "see" those though

I use rDRTG to judge defenses, since it works across era's as you literally measure how strong a defense is relative to league average of the time. Generally, historically great defenses check out at -8.0 rDRTG or better. Very few have reached that level though. We've only seen a couple of these since the 90s. In no order:

08 Celtics (-8.6)
93 Knicks (-8.3)
94 Knicks (-8.1)
04 Spurs (-8.8)
*Pistons of 04 were at -7.7

[Gougou]

Yeah the very early 63-64 Celtics had the best defense.

[SouBeachTalents]

2000's Pistons winning in a landslide unsurprisingly

[Nikola_]

whichever my favourite player went up against and didnt do well, or even better, did well

[SouBeachTalents]

2008-10 Celtics deserve a mention. LeBron & Kobe really had their struggles against them, came within a hair of beating them both twice

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

Those Mid 2000 Pacer teams were good on defense too.

Along with Detroit, they held plenty of teams in the 80s.

But yeah ... My "vote" goes to the 2004 Pistons.

[iamgine]

'99 twin tower Spurs and '16 Spurs deserve a mention.

[NBAGOAT]

I mightbtake knicks over pistons if it was a multi year stretch based on rdrtg like lost mentioned. 04 pistons are goat lvl however, rdrtg undersells then because they got Rasheed mid season

[Smook A.]

The mid-2000s Pistons. It's a no-brainer

[stalkerforlife]

Kobe.

[Bosnian Sajo]

I dont like this poll at all tho.

You give 3 teams a period of time while you limit the bulls and spurs to 1 specific season each. If you said early-mid 2000s spurs I bet they'd get more votes..